Please help son with school project

Discussion in 'General' started by missy, Jan 21, 2013.

  1. missy

    missy Member

    Hello everyone,

    I know that this will be the wrong thread to put this post, but i don't seem to be able to create a new thread.

    My 10 year old son's project this term is WW2 and as part of this he needs to interview someone who went through the war, either as a child or someone who fought. Unfortunately, there is no one left in the family to interview, and i was wondering if anyone would mind answering a few questions.

    Thanking you on behalf of my son

    Louise
     
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  2. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    There you go moved post to own thread.
     
  3. missy

    missy Member

    Thank you Owen
     
  4. Ron Goldstein

    Ron Goldstein WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    Louise

    As you asked so nicely I'm prepared to give it a go.

    Post your questions here (Maximum 30 questions) and I will try to respond as accurately as I can

    Ron
     
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  5. Joe Brown

    Joe Brown WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    Missy:

    Let your Son know I would also be happy to help. I have a website about my War experiences [site details below] and perhaps he could quite san through and send me questions.

    Joe Brown.
     
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  6. missy

    missy Member

    Thank you Ron, that's very kind of you. There will only be about 10 questions, just need to tailor them to you, as a veteran.
     
  7. missy

    missy Member

    Thank you Joe, also very kind of you.
     
  8. missy

    missy Member

    Wow Joe, just clicked the link to you website, ther will be so much information on here for my son. I'm on the case with questions now
     
  9. missy

    missy Member

    Questions

    1. Joe, where did you serve? Ron, what was life like for you before you were 'called up'?

    2. What is the difference between being 'called up' and enlisting?

    3. Did you have any choice if you were 'called up'?

    4. What were living conditions like for you both on the frontline?

    5. How did you keep morale up?

    6. What sort of food did you eat?

    7. Were you able to send and receive letters from home?

    8. How did you feel at the end of the war, knowing you were going home to your families, but having lost so many men?

    9. Was it difficult going back to civilian life?


    I think that should cover a fair amount, got home life and frontline fighting during the war. Again, thank you both for doing this. Apart from helping my son, it will also help the other children to understand what you both went through. Also, it's incredibly interesting.

    Louise
     
  10. Ron Goldstein

    Ron Goldstein WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    Louise

    Questions

    1. Ron, what was life like for you before you were 'called up'?
    I was 16 years old when war broke out living in the East End of London
    My father sent me to live in Hove in Sussex but we moved back to London just in time for the Blitz,


    2. What is the difference between being 'called up' and enlisting?
    Called up meant you were literally called into one of the wartime services.
    Enlisted usually meant volunteering before your official date.

    3. Did you have any choice if you were 'called up'?
    If you wanted a particular Service you had to volunteer

    4. What were living conditions like for you both on the frontline?
    To big a subject for this questionaire but if you GOOGLE Ron Goldstein ww2 you will find literally thousands of stories
    5. How did you keep morale up?
    We never considered the matter..... we just did whatever was necesssary

    6. What sort of food did you eat?
    You will find lots of stories on this forum, just do a search on Army Food

    7. Were you able to send and receive letters from home?
    Both by conventional post and air-letters or Aerograms

    8. How did you feel at the end of the war, knowing you were going home to your families, but having lost so many men?
    In my case my family lost a son (see my signature below)

    9. Was it difficult going back to civilian life?
    Yes, but wonderful !

    Finally, I kept an album, so if you need further details go here:
    Ron Goldstein's Actual Army Album

    Good luck !

    Ron
     
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  11. Paul Reed

    Paul Reed Ubique

    Great stuff one and all, just what this forum should be about.
     
  12. Trux

    Trux 21 AG

    Missy,

    An object lesson from a 10 year old (with some help I suppose). Ask clear well thought out questions and you will get clear well though out answers.

    Mike

    PS. I was a child in Whitby during the war. Nothing happened.
     
  13. Joe Brown

    Joe Brown WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    Louise:

    1. Served initially in the defence of the U.K. and then took part in the battle to liberate Western Europe. Before the War began I had started my newspaper career with the local weekly newspaper and was enjoying life with friends that had made as a boy and now we were young men together in our late teens.

    2. I volunteered for the Territorial Army in May 1939 to be ready if War broke out.

    3. Less chance if called up.

    4. Being with other lads, you always had comrades - some who became close friends with friendships that lasted a lifetime. I served in what was a 'local' Regiment, The Royal Scots; 'local' because most of the men came from the same geographical area as you did you, therefore you had much in common.

    5. When moments were difficult there was always men close to you who set an example and you tried to be like them and not let your comrades down.

    6. We probably had better food than the general population who had to endure rationing.

    7. Sending and receiving letters was not a problem and the welcome parcel from home always got through.

    8. When the 'cease fire' was sounded I suddenly realised it was all over and I had survived. Ever since have mourned the loss of so many good friends and comrades.

    9. I missed the life of close comradeship but quickly adjusted to being a civilian, made progress with my career, got married and then a son and a daughter brought joy and pleasure . . . . the horrors of my seven years at War were soothed away by family life . . . . but 'The War' never forgotten.

    Good luck!

    Joe Brown
     
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  14. missy

    missy Member

    Thank you Ron and Joe for answering my son's questions. They were all from him, i just helped him with phrasing them, i didn't want to be doing his homework for him.

    Sorry Ron for being a bit insensitive, i read that your brother had died after posting the questions.

    Also, thank you for posting links to your websites, i shall be reading them for my own interest.

    Louise
     
  15. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    Excellent Questions

    Excellent Answers

    That is all :)
     
  16. Smudger Jnr

    Smudger Jnr Our Man in Berlin

    An excellent thread to read and such great help from our Veterans.

    I agree with Pauls comments, great stuff.

    Regards
    Tom
     
  17. missy

    missy Member

    Thank you Drew, was trying to be sensitive in what i asked, but also wanted to get as much information as i could. My son and I sat down and thought about what should be asked so a good cross section was covered, also, i would imagine most of his class mates won't have access to many, if any veterans, so he has another viewpoint of the war.

    Louise
     
  18. bamboo43

    bamboo43 Very Senior Member

    Well done to our two veterans for helping here, a lovely gesture and well received by Louise and her family.:)
     
  19. SDP

    SDP Incurable Cometoholic

    Missy,

    An object lesson from a 10 year old (with some help I suppose). Ask clear well thought out questions and you will get clear well though out answers.

    Mike

    PS. I was a child in Whitby during the war. Nothing happened.

    Hopefully this is not too far off topic but Whitby was the centre of the Universe as far as at least two people were concerned during WWII. The 24th Lancers spent some of their formative time in Whitby and were based at a rather large Hotel (I forget the name) but that was where 'Reg' met 'Vera' (who worked as a Cook at the Hotel), they got married and lived happily ever after. A message for your son's project: "the War was also a time when you could achieve great joy amidst all the other pain and suffering"?

    Later edit: The hotel referred to was the 'Royal Hotel'.
     
  20. Trux

    Trux 21 AG

    SDP,

    The Royal Hotel. I worked there in the school holidays in my late teens. It still bore the marks of military occupation in the cellars and attics.

    Mike
     

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